Systems and methods for live video financial deposit

ABSTRACT

A live video of a negotiable instrument may be provided to a financial institution so that an image of the negotiable instrument may be obtained from the live video, processed, and funds associated with the negotiable instrument may be deposited in an account of a user. The user may be identified and authenticated to the financial institution by one or more biometric characteristics. One or more biometric characteristics may be used to endorse the negotiable instrument. A holder may be used to hold the negotiable instrument while live video is being taken and provided from a user to a financial institution.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/206,001 (still pending), filed on Sep. 8, 2008, the entiretyof which is hereby incorporated by reference. The present application isalso related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/205,966, filed onSep. 8, 2008, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/206,007, filed onSep. 8, 2008, the entirety of each of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

Checks typically provide a safe and convenient method for an individualsuch as a payor to purchase goods and/or services. To use a check, theindividual usually opens a checking account, or other similar account,at a financial institution and deposits funds, which are then availablefor later withdrawal. To pay for goods and/or services with a check, thepayor (i.e., the buyer) usually designates a payee (i.e., the seller)and an amount payable on the check. In addition, the payor often signsthe check. Once the check has been signed, it is usually deemednegotiable, meaning the check may be validly transferred to the payeeupon delivery. By signing and transferring the check to the payee, thepayor authorizes funds to be withdrawn from the payor's account onbehalf of the payee in return for the goods and/or services provided bythe payee.

While a check may provide a payor with a convenient and secure form ofpayment, receiving a check may put certain burdens on the payee, such asthe time and effort required to deposit the check. For example,depositing a check typically involves going to a local bank branch andphysically presenting the check to a bank teller. To reduce such burdensfor the payee, systems and methods have been developed to enable theremote deposit of checks. For example, the payee may scan a check in anelectronic image using a scanning device and a computing device. Thefinancial institution may then receive from the payee the electronicimage of the check. The financial institution may then use theelectronic image to credit funds to the payee. However, such a techniquerequires the generation and transmission of a still electronic image.

SUMMARY

A live video of a negotiable instrument may be provided from a user to afinancial institution so that an image of the negotiable instrument maybe obtained from the live video, processed, and funds associated withthe negotiable instrument may be deposited in an account of the user.

In an implementation, after endorsing a check, a user may use a videosource such as a video camera, a web camera, or a video-enabled phone tosend a live video of the front and/or back of the check to the financialinstitution, where it may be processed and deposited in an accountassociated with the user. The video may be provided by the user to thefinancial institution via live streaming video.

In an implementation, a user may be identified and authenticated to thefinancial institution by one or more biometric characteristics. One ormore biometric characteristics may be used to endorse the negotiableinstrument. The biometric characteristic(s) may be provided from theuser to the financial institution or an associated authenticationauthority via live video. The financial institution or authenticationauthority may capture the biometric characteristic(s) from the livevideo and process the biometric characteristic(s) to identify andauthenticate the user and to verify an endorsement of the negotiableinstrument.

In an implementation, a holder may be used to hold a negotiableinstrument while live video is being taken and provided from a user to afinancial institution. The holder may comprise a sleeve into which theuser may slide or otherwise insert the negotiable instrument. The holdermay comprise a template into which the user may place the negotiableinstrument. The holder may position the negotiable instrument in apredetermined manner and/or may comprise predetermined markings orfeatures and the financial institution may identify the positioning ofthe negotiable instrument and may retrieve the data therefrom based onthe position, markings, and/or features of the negotiable instrumentand/or the holder.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofillustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunctionwith the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating theembodiments, there are shown in the drawings example constructions ofthe embodiments; however, the embodiments are not limited to thespecific methods and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an implementation of a system in whichexample embodiments and aspects may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is an operational flow of an implementation of a method that maybe used to provide live video financial deposit;

FIG. 3 is an operational flow of another implementation of a method thatmay be used to provide live video financial deposit;

FIG. 4 is an operational flow of another implementation of a method thatmay be used to provide live video financial deposit; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example computing environment in whichexample embodiments and aspects may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an implementation of a system 100 in whichexample embodiments and aspects may be implemented. System 100 mayinclude account owner 110 (also referred to herein as a user) andfinancial institutions 130, 140 and 150, which may be any type of entitycapable of processing a transaction involving a negotiable instrument.For example, financial institutions 130, 140 and 150 may be a retailbank, an investment bank, an investment company, a regional branch ofthe Federal Reserve, a clearinghouse bank and/or a correspondent bank.

A negotiable instrument typically includes a type of contract thatobligates one party to pay a specified sum of money to another party.Negotiable instruments may include checks, money orders, cashier'schecks, drafts, bills of exchange, promissory notes, and the like. Acheck instructs a financial institution to pay an amount of money from aspecific account held in the payor's name with that financialinstitution to an account held in the payee's name. A money order is atrusted financial instrument that is a payment order for a pre-specifiedamount of money. It is a more trusted method of payment than a personalcheck because the funds for the amount shown on the money order must beprepaid. A cashier's check (also known as a bank check, official check,teller's check, bank draft or treasurer's check) is a check guaranteedby a bank and may be purchased from a bank. Cashier's checks are usuallytreated as cash since most banks clear them instantly.

Account owner 110 may be an individual who owns account 160 that may beheld at financial institution 130. Account 160 may be any type ofaccount for depositing funds, such as a savings account, a checkingaccount, a brokerage account, and the like. Account owner 110 maycommunicate with financial institution 130 by way of communicationsnetwork 120 such as an intranet, the Internet, a local area network(LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a public switched telephone network(PSTN), a cellular network, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)network, and the like. Account owner 110 may communicate with financialinstitution 130 by phone, email, instant messaging, text messaging,facsimile, and the like. Financial institutions 130, 140 and 150 alsomay communicate with each other by way of communications network 120.

In an implementation, account owner 110 may receive payment from anotherindividual such as a payor in the form of a check 102 or othernegotiable instrument that is drawn from account 170 at financialinstitution 150. Account owner 110 may endorse the check 102 (e.g., signthe back of the check 102) and indicate an account number on the check102 for depositing the funds. It is noted that although examplesdescribed herein may refer to a check, the techniques and systemsdescribed herein are contemplated for, and may be used for, the depositof any negotiable instrument.

As described further herein, a live video of a check 102 or othernegotiable instrument such as a money order or cashier's check, etc. maybe provided in real-time from a video source 111 of account owner 110 tofinancial institution 130 so that an image of the check 102 ornegotiable instrument may be obtained from the live video, processed,and funds associated with the check 102 or negotiable instrument may bedeposited in the account 160. Any technique for sending live video tofinancial institution 130 may be used.

Account owner 110 may deposit the check 102 into account 160 by sendinga live video of the check 102 to financial institution 130 via streamingusing a video source 111. For example, after endorsing the check 102,account owner 110 may use a video source such as a video camera 112, aweb camera 114, or a video-enabled phone 116, for example, to stream alive video of the check 102 (e.g., the front and/or back of the check102) to financial institution 130. Generation of a live video of a check102 is not limited to a video camera, a web camera, and a video-enabledphone, and it is contemplated that any device that is capable ofgenerating a live video may be used to make a video of the check 102which may be sent live in real-time to financial institution 130.Additional devices that may be used in the generation and/ortransmission of a live video include a web-enabled video computingdevice, a mobile phone, a camcorder, and a computer camera, for example.It is contemplated that account owner 110 may use any mobile device,live video monitor, or video game console comprising a camera, or anyother video source to capture and provide live video over a network orany type of communications channel(s) to financial institution 130.

In an implementation, a personal computer (PC) to PC video call betweenaccount owner 110 and financial institution 130 may be used to transmita live video of the check 102 to financial institution 130. In animplementation, video instant messaging between account owner 110 andfinancial institution 130 may be used. Account owner 110 may use atelevision having a channel dedicated to financial institution 130 andan associated video source-enabled television to access financialinstitution 130 and provide live video to financial institution 130.

A computing device 118 may be integral with a device used to capture andprovide the live video or separate from such a device. An examplecomputing device 118 is described with respect to FIG. 5.

In an implementation, financial institution 130 may control the videosource 111 used in the capturing and providing of live video (e.g., ofthe check 102, of biometric characteristics of account owner 110(described further herein), etc.) to financial institution 130.Financial institution 130 may instruct the video source 111 to setparameters such as a compression rate, resolution, and the like to usein capturing live video.

Financial institution 130 may receive live video representing the check102 and may use any known video processing software or otherapplication(s) to obtain check 102's relevant data from the live video.Financial institution 130 may determine whether the financialinformation associated therewith may be valid. For example, financialinstitution 130 may include any combination of systems and sub-systemssuch as electronic devices including, but not limited to, computers,servers, databases, or the like. The electronic devices may include anycombination of hardware components such as processors, databases,storage drives, registers, cache, random access memory (RAM) chips, databuses, or the like and/or software components such as operating systems,database management applications, or the like. According to anembodiment, the electronic devices may include a network-based serverthat may process the financial information and may receive the livevideo from the account owner 110.

The electronic devices may receive the live video and may perform aninitial analysis on the quality of the video, the readability of thedata contained therein, or the like. For example, the electronic devicesmay determine whether the account number, amount payable, and the likemay be readable such that it may be parsed or otherwise obtained andprocessed by the financial institution 130 to credit an account (such asaccount 160) associated with account owner 110 and debit an account(such as account 170) associated with the payor. In an implementation,representative 135 of financial institution 130 may provide assistanceto account owner 110 and may provide assistance in determining whetherthe financial information may be readable and/or of a good enoughquality to be processed, as described further herein.

In an implementation, a holder 105 may be provided and may be used tohold the check 102 or other negotiable instrument while live video isbeing taken and provided to financial institution 130. Becauseretrieving check information from a live video is computerprocessor-intensive, the check 102 or other negotiable instrument may beput in the holder 105 by account owner 110, so that a processor atfinancial institution 130 may quickly and easily parse the check datafrom an image captured or grabbed from the live video.

In an implementation, the holder 105 may comprise a sleeve into whichaccount owner 110 may slide or otherwise insert the check 102. Theholder 105 may also comprise a template into which account owner 110 mayplace the check 102. The account owner 110 may thus more easily handlethe check 102 or other negotiable instrument with the holder 105 (e.g.,when holding the check 102 in front of a video source 111, when turningthe check 102 over from one side to another side, etc.).

The holder 105 may allow financial institution 130 to more quickly andeasily separate the check data to be used in subsequent processing fromextraneous data such as background data. The holder 105 may position thecheck 102 in a predetermined manner and/or comprise predeterminedmarkings or features so that a processor at financial institution 130may identify the positioning of the check 102 and may retrieve the datatherefrom based on the position, markings, and/or features of the check102 and/or the holder 105.

In an implementation, the video source 111 may perform some processingon the live video prior to the live video being sent to financialinstitution 130. A portion of the data of the live video of the check102, such as extraneous or background data unrelated to the check 102itself, may be identified and/or removed by the video source 111. Thevideo source 111 may identify the extraneous or background data usingthe position, markings, and/or features of the check 102 and/or theholder 105 into which account owner 110 inserted the check. The datathat may be removed may be extraneous to the holder 105 or may includethe holder 105 (which may be considered to be background). In thismanner, less data may be sent to financial institution 130 forprocessing.

It is contemplated that the holder 105 may be adapted to receive or holdmore than one check 102 or other negotiable instrument, such thatfinancial institution 130 may process more than one check 102 or othernegotiable instrument from live video.

Video image processing may be performed by financial institution 130.Financial institution 130 may receive live video as a bitstream and usea frame grab of the check 102 (e.g., the front of the check, the back ofthe check, etc.) to capture an image for further processing. Thereadability and/or resolution of the image may be checked and if it isacceptable, the check 102 (i.e., the image of the check 102) may befurther processed for deposit.

Upon receipt and approval of live video and data retrieved therefrom,financial institution 130 may credit the funds to account 160. Financialinstitution 130 may clear the check 102 by presenting a digital image ofthe check 102 captured from the live video to an intermediary bank, suchas a regional branch of the Federal Reserve, a correspondent bank and/ora clearinghouse bank. For example, the check 102 may be cleared bypresenting the digital image to financial institution 140, which may bea regional branch of the Federal Reserve, along with a request forpayment. Financial institutions 130 and 150 may have accounts at theregional branch of the Federal Reserve. Financial institution 130 maycreate a substitute check using the image obtained from the live videoprovided by account owner 110 and present the substitute check tofinancial institution 140 for further processing. Upon receiving thesubstitute check, financial institution 140 may identify financialinstitution 150 as the paying bank (e.g., the bank from which the check102 is drawn). This may be accomplished using a nine-digit routingnumber located on the bottom left hand corner of the check 102. A uniquerouting number is typically assigned to every financial institution inthe United States. Financial institution 140 may present the substitutecheck to financial institution 150 and request that the check be paid.If financial institution 150 verifies the check (i.e., agrees to honorthe check), financial institution 140 may then settle the check bydebiting funds from financial institution 150 and crediting funds tofinancial institution 130. Financial institution 150 may then debitfunds from account 170.

It will be appreciated that the preceding examples are for purposes ofillustration and explanation only, and that an embodiment is not limitedto such examples. For example, financial institution 150 may be acorrespondent bank (i.e., engaged in a partnership with financialinstitution 130). Thus, financial institution 130 may bypass theregional branch of the Federal Reserve and clear the check directly withfinancial institution 150. In addition, account 160 and account 170 mayboth be held at financial institution 130, in which case the check maybe cleared internally.

A video teller 132 may be in communication with financial institution130 via a network or any other type of communications channel(s). Thevideo teller 132 may be local to financial institution 130 or remote tofinancial institution 130. The video teller 132 may capture live videoof the check 102 from account owner 110 and provide the live video tofinancial institution 130 for processing. In an implementation, thevideo teller 132 may perform some processing of the video prior totransmitting the video to financial institution 130 for furtherprocessing and deposit of the check 102.

In an implementation, account owner 110 may use the video teller 132 totransmit a live video of the check 102 to the representative 135 offinancial institution 130. The representative 135 may process the check102 that is received via live video.

In an implementation, the video teller 132 may be comprised within anautomated teller machine (ATM) of financial institution 130 or anotherfinancial institution or may comprise a kiosk. The ATM or kiosk may actas a mobile branch of financial institution 130.

FIG. 2 is an operational flow of an implementation of a method 200 thatmay be used to provide live video financial deposit. A check or othernegotiable instrument may be deposited in a financial institution, suchas a bank, using a live video of the check or negotiable instrumentwhich is transmitted to the financial institution from the user. Thestreamed video may be provided from a live streaming video feed.

At 205, an account owner (i.e., the payee, referred to herein as a user)may receive a check from a third party (i.e., the payor). At 210, theuser may endorse the check by signing the back of the check in thedesignated field. If the user wishes to deposit the check into anaccount, such as a savings and/or checking account, the user also maywrite an account number below the signature.

At 215, the user may open a communication pathway with a financialinstitution that may be associated with an account for depositing funds,by logging into a website for the financial institution, for example.There may be several ways in which a communication pathway may beestablished, including, but not limited to, an Internet connection via awebsite of financial institution. The user may access the website andlog into the website using credentials, such as, but not limited to, apassword and a username. The user may send a request to deposit thecheck via live video and may select a type of account in which todeposit the check.

At 220, a live video may be sent to the financial institution forprocessing, e.g. via streaming using a live video feed using variousmeans, including, but not limited to, an Internet connection via thewebsite or a wireless cellular transmission. Streaming refers to playingor otherwise processing data such as video in real-time as it isdownloaded over the Internet as opposed to storing the data in a localfile first. Streaming video avoids the delay entailed in downloading anentire video file and then playing or processing it. Thus, data isstreaming when it is moving quickly from one computing device to anotherand does not have to be all in one place for the destination device todo something with it. In an implementation, a video provided by the userof a negotiable instrument, such as a check, does not have to be fullydownloaded or received by the financial institution before the financialinstitution can begin processing it.

A video stream may be live. Live streams are only available at oneparticular time, as when a user is providing a video of their endorsedcheck live in real-time to the financial institution. Any knownstreaming techniques and technologies may be used to provide a video ofa negotiable instrument, such as a check, from a user to a financialinstitution. The live video may be in the form of video data that isgenerated and provided by any video source, such as a video camera, aweb camera, a video-enabled phone, a web-enabled video computing device,a mobile phone, a camcorder, a computer camera, a PC, and the like, forexample. In an implementation, the user may hold an endorsed check infront of a video camera which transmits a video of the check to thefinancial institution (e.g., a website of the financial institution).

Additionally, the live video may be augmented by secondary data whichmay be information relating to the check, such as an account number, adeposit amount, or a routing number associated with the check, and/orrelating to the account for depositing funds, such as the account numberand/or the name on the account. The secondary data may be provided tothe financial institution via live video or other techniques, such asvia a previously recorded video data file or image file, an email, afacsimile, instant message, text message, or selection via a websiteassociated with the financial institution (e.g., after the user opens acommunication pathway with the financial institution, before or afterthe user sends the live video of the check or other negotiableinstrument to the financial institution, etc.), for example. The usermay send the secondary data to the financial institution along with arequest to deposit the check into a particular user account.

At 225, the financial institution may receive the live video of theendorsed check via streaming (along with financial informationpertaining to the account for depositing funds and any secondary data inan implementation) and may obtain a frame grab from the video at 230.The frame grab may comprise a still image that is captured from thevideo stream. An automated system or a representative of the financialinstitution may initiate the frame grab.

The video may be processed as it is received to retrieve financialinformation regarding the check using any known video processingtechnology, such as video editing, capturing still frames from video,filtering to remove imagery except the check in the received video,image sharpening, and technologies to distinguish between the front andthe back sides of the check.

In an implementation, the financial institution may determine that thereare multiple user accounts in which to deposit the check. The accountsmay be the same type of account, such as a checking account, ordifferent types of accounts, such as checking, savings, or investmentaccounts. The user may make a selection among a list of accounts inwhich to deposit the check. The selection may be transmitted to thefinancial institution, which may process the deposit request accordingto the live video, the secondary data if any, and the selected account.

At 235, the financial institution may determine whether the financialinformation received from the live video (e.g., the frame grab in animplementation) may be readable and valid. Retrieved information mayinclude the amount payable to the user, the account associated with theuser to deposit funds, an account associated with a payor to debitfunds, and a financial institution associated with the payor and/or theuser. For example, the financial institution may include electronicdevices such as computers, servers, databases, or the like that may bein communication with each other. The electronic devices may receive anelectronic data representation and may perform an initial analysis onthe quality of the data representation, the readability of the datarepresentation, or the like. For example, the electronic devices maydetermine whether the account number, amount payable, or the like may bereadable such that they may be parsed and processed by the financialinstitution to credit an account associated with the user and debit anaccount associated with the payor. In an implementation, the financialinstitution may check that that the resolution of the image meets atleast a predetermined threshold, such as 200 dots per inch (dpi), 400dpi, 500 dpi, etc.

In an implementation, after retrieving the financial information fromthe check in an electronic data representation form, the financialinstitution may determine whether the financial information such as theamount payable to the user, the account associated with the user todeposit funds, an account associated with a payor to debit funds, and afinancial institution associated with the payor and/or the payee may bevalid.

At 240, if the financial information is determined to be valid, it isdetermined at 245 if more information is needed from the user beforedepositing the check. Such information may include data from anotherside of the check (e.g., the back of the check, the front of the check,or some other information). If no additional information is needed at245, the electronic data representation may be processed by thefinancial institution at 290, thereby depositing the check in the user'saccount. The user may receive a notice via email, facsimile, instantmessage or mail, for example, that the check has been deposited into theappropriate account selected by the user.

In an implementation, at 290, the financial institution may process theelectronic data representation of the check. For example, the financialinstitution may credit the funds to an account associated with the userif, based on the decision received from the representative, thefinancial information may be approved. Additionally, the financialinstitution may credit the funds to an account associated with the userif, based on the determination, the financial information may be valid.The credit may be a provisional credit, enabling the user to access thefunds while the check is being cleared. A provisional credit may bevoided if the bank determines that the transaction is erroneous and/orfraudulent. Additionally, to credit funds to the account, the bank maygenerate an Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) debit entry, substitute check,and/or electronic image. ACH transactions typically include paymentinstructions to debit and/or credit an account. Banks often employ ACHservice providers to settle ACH transactions. Examples of ACH serviceproviders include regional branches of the Federal Reserve and theElectronic Payments Network (EPN).

The ACH service provider may process the debit entry by identifying theaccount and bank from which the check may be drawn. The bank from whichthe check is drawn (i.e., the payor's bank) may be referred to as areceiving depository financial institution (RDFI). If the payor's bankverifies the transaction, the ACH service provider may settle thetransaction by debiting the payor's bank and crediting the user's bank.The payor's bank may then debit the payor's account.

If more information is needed from the user before depositing the checkas determined at 245, the user may be advised at 250 and additionalinformation may be requested from the user. The user may be advised byan email, a web message, an instant message, a text message, or the liketransmitted from the financial institution to the user. In animplementation, audio or video feedback may be provided to the userproviding status information and/or requesting additional information.The user may send a live video of the requested additional informationvia streaming for example at 255, with processing continuing at 225.

If the financial information is determined to be invalid at 240, thenthe user may be advised at 270. For example, the financial institutionmay transmit an email, a web message, an instant message, a textmessage, or the like to the user indicating that the financialinformation associated with the electronic data representation may beinvalid. In an implementation, audio or video feedback may be providedto the user about image quality and may direct the user on what they maydo to provide a good image of the check or other negotiable instrumentvia live video.

The user may determine how to proceed by selecting an option on themessage, replying to the email, or the like. In an implementation, ifthe financial information is held to be invalid, instructions on how theuser would like to proceed may be requested from the user, such aswhether the user would like to try the live video deposit again (e.g.,provide another live video of the check or negotiable instrument to thefinancial institution) or whether the user would like assistance from arepresentative, for example. The financial institution may also provideadditional options on how to redeem the check to the user such asmailing in the check to the financial institution or the like. The usermay indicate how they would like to proceed. Thus, in an implementation,the user may try streaming a video of the check to the financialinstitution again (e.g., processing may continue at 220) and/or may betransferred to a representative of the financial institution forassistance.

If the user would like assistance, the financial information may betransferred to a representative for further review. The representative,such as a customer service representative, a bank teller that may belocated at a branch, a virtual bank teller that may be located remotelyvia an electronic device, or the like, may review the financialinformation associated with the electronic data representation todetermine whether to allow the electronic data representation to beprocessed by the financial institution. For example, the initialanalysis may require a certain quality requirement, a certainreadability requirement, or the like, thus, leading to a high failurerate even though the electronic data representation may otherwise bevalid. The representative may review the electronic data representationto determine whether the financial information may be readable and/or ofa good enough quality to be processed. If so, the electronic datarepresentation of the financial information may be processed by thefinancial institution, thereby depositing the check in the user'saccount.

In an implementation, the financial institution may receive a decisionfrom a representative on whether to credit the funds to an account. Forexample, a representative such as a virtual teller may make a decisionsuch as to approve or deny processing of the electronic datarepresentation. According to an embodiment, a virtual teller may fill inthe invalid financial information. For example, the virtual teller mayissue a decision to approve the electronic data representation and mayfill in the financial information deemed invalid from the initialanalysis based upon inspection or review by the teller. The financialinstitution may then receive the information (e.g., the information thatwas deemed invalid but has been approved by the teller) from the virtualbank teller such that the electronic data representation may beprocessed.

In this manner, there may be real-time two-way communication between thefinancial institution and the user. For example, a user may hold oneside of a check (e.g., the front) up to a web-enabled video camera,webcam, other video source, etc., and the financial institution may readthe data on the front of the check. When the financial institution hascaptured the needed data, the user may be advised (e.g., via a website,instant messaging, video instant messaging, an applet of the Internet, atext interface with the video interface, etc.) and instructed to turnthe check over. The financial institution may then read the other sideof the check (e.g., the back), and advise the user when the data hasbeen captured. The financial institution may then deposit the checkbased on the captured data and advise the user. The user may thendestroy or otherwise void the check (e.g., by writing “void” on thecheck).

FIG. 3 is an operational flow of an implementation of a method 300 thatmay be used to provide live video financial deposit. At 305, a user mayreceive a check. At 310, a communication pathway with a financialinstitution may be opened. The communication pathway may be establishedby any of a number of techniques, such as by logging into a website forthe financial institution, using a video teller or a kiosk, or otherwiseaccessing the financial institution.

At 315, the user may be identified and authenticated to the financialinstitution by any one or more biometric characteristics, such as facerecognition, fingerprints, hand geometry, and iris recognition. Thebiometric characteristic(s) may be provided from the user to thefinancial institution or an associated authentication authority via livevideo. The financial institution or authentication authority may capturethe biometric characteristic(s) from the live video (e.g., via a framegrab from the live video) and process the biometric characteristic(s) toidentify and authenticate the user using known biometric techniques. Thefinancial institution or authentication authority may provide feedbackto the user regarding the capture and processing of the biometriccharacteristic(s) as well as confirming (or denying) authentication andaccess to the financial institution.

At 320, the user may send a request to the financial institution todeposit the check via live video and may select the account in which todeposit the check. At 325, the user may endorse the check using one ormore biometric characteristics. As with the authentication, thebiometric characteristic(s) may be provided from the user to thefinancial institution via live video. The biometric endorsement may beverified by the financial institution, such as by an automated system ora representative of the financial institution. The same biometriccharacteristic(s) may be used for authentication and endorsement, ordifferent biometric characteristics may be used. Alternatively, theendorsement may be made by signing the back of the check in thedesignated field.

It is noted that if biometric characteristics are used forauthentication or endorsement, the user may be previously enrolled.During enrollment, biometric information from the user may be capturedand stored for subsequent use. During authentication or endorsement,biometric information is detected from the user and compared with thestored biometric information. If there is a match, the user may beauthenticated or the endorsement may be verified or otherwise held to bevalid.

Processing may proceed as described with respect to the method 200 ofFIG. 2, e.g., at 220 with a live video of the check sent to thefinancial institution for processing. If the endorsement of the check isperformed using biometrics, a live video of the back of the check maynot be captured or processed by the financial institution in animplementation.

FIG. 4 is an operational flow of an implementation of a method 400 thatmay be used to provide live video financial deposit. At 405, a user mayreceive a check. At 410, after endorsing the check in an implementation,the user may insert the check into the holder. The check may be insertedin the holder in a predetermined position or manner. For example, thecheck or portions of the check such as one or more corners of the check,the signature line, the MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) line,etc., may be aligned with respect to one or more markings or indicatorson the holder. It is contemplated that different holders may be used forthe front of the check and for the back of the check. The positioning oralignment may allow for more efficient processing of the live video ofthe check.

At 415, a communication pathway may be opened with a financialinstitution that may be associated with an account for depositing fundsand the user may be identified and authenticated, e.g., using techniquesdescribed with respect to the methods 200 and 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3,respectively.

At 420, the video source that may be used to provide live video of thecheck to the financial institution may process the live video, prior totransmission to the financial institution, to identify and/or remove atleast a portion of data that is extraneous to the check, such asbackground and/or holder data. The holder, or markings or indicators onthe holder, may be used in the identification of data that is extraneousto the check and which may be removed by the video source and/or thefinancial institution. Processing may proceed as described with respectto the method 200 of FIG. 2, e.g., at 220 with a live video of the checksent to the financial institution for processing.

Exemplary Computing Arrangement

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary computing environment in which exampleembodiments and aspects may be implemented. The computing systemenvironment is only one example of a suitable computing environment andis not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use orfunctionality.

Numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing systemenvironments or configurations may be used. Examples of well knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use include, but are not limited to, personal computers,server computers, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based systems, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframecomputers, embedded systems, distributed computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer may be used. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Distributed computing environments may be used where tasks are performedby remote processing devices that are linked through a communicationsnetwork or other data transmission medium. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules and other data may be located in both localand remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.

With reference to FIG. 5, an exemplary system for implementing aspectsdescribed herein includes a computing device, such as computing device500. In its most basic configuration, computing device 500 typicallyincludes at least one processing unit 502 and system memory 504.Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device,system memory 504 may be volatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such asread-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.), or some combination of thetwo. This most basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 5 by dashedline 506.

Computing device 500 may have additional features and/or functionality.For example, computing device 500 may include additional storage(removable and/or non-removable) including, but not limited to, magneticor optical disks or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG.5 by removable storage 508 and non-removable storage 510.

Computing device 500 typically includes a variety of computer-readablemedia. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can beaccessed by computing device 500 and includes both volatile andnon-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media. By way ofexample, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprisecomputer storage media and communication media.

Computer storage media include volatile and non-volatile, and removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information such as computer-readable instructions, datastructures, program modules or other data. System memory 504, removablestorage 508, and non-removable storage 510 are all examples of computerstorage media. Computer storage media include, but are not limited to,RAM, ROM, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM),flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks(DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium which can be used to store the desired information and which canbe accessed by computing device 500. Any such computer storage media maybe part of computing device 500.

Computing device 500 may also contain communication connection(s) 512that allow the computing device 500 to communicate with other devices.Communication connection(s) 512 is an example of communication media.Communication media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated datasignal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includeany information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media include wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media. Theterm computer-readable media as used herein includes both storage mediaand communication media.

Computing device 500 may also have input device(s) 514 such as akeyboard, a mouse, a pen, a voice input device, a touch input device,etc. Output device(s) 516 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc.,may also be included. All these devices are well known in the art andneed not be discussed at length here.

Computing device 500 may be one of a plurality of computing devices 500inter-connected by a network. As may be appreciated, the network may beany appropriate network, each computing device 500 may be connectedthereto by way of communication connection(s) 512 in any appropriatemanner, and each computing device 500 may communicate with one or moreof the other computing devices 500 in the network in any appropriatemanner. For example, the network may be a wired or wireless networkwithin an organization or home or the like, and may include a direct orindirect coupling to an external network such as the Internet or thelike.

It should be understood that the various techniques described herein maybe implemented in connection with hardware or software or, whereappropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatusof the presently disclosed subject matter, or certain aspects orportions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions)embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, harddrives, or any other machine-readable storage medium wherein, when theprogram code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as acomputer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the presentlydisclosed subject matter. In the case of program code execution onprogrammable computers, the computing device generally includes aprocessor, a storage medium readable by the processor (includingvolatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least oneinput device, and at least one output device. One or more programs mayimplement or utilize the processes described in connection with thepresently disclosed subject matter, e.g., through the use of anapplication programming interface (API), reusable controls, or the like.Such programs may be implemented in a high level procedural orobject-oriented programming language to communicate with a computersystem. However, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly ormachine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be acompiled or interpreted language and it may be combined with hardwareimplementations.

Although exemplary embodiments may refer to utilizing aspects of thepresently disclosed subject matter in the context of one or morestand-alone computer systems, the subject matter is not so limited, butrather may be implemented in connection with any computing environment,such as a network or distributed computing environment. Still further,aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter may be implemented inor across a plurality of processing chips or devices, and storage maysimilarly be effected across a plurality of devices. Such devices mightinclude personal computers, network servers, and handheld devices, forexample.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A processor-implemented method ofdepositing a negotiable instrument, comprising, in a computing device ofa financial institution having a memory and a processor in communicationwith the memory, the processor: establishing a communication pathwaywith a video-enabled mobile device operated by a user, wherein thecommunication pathway is a real-time two-way communication pathway;receiving live video of a negotiable instrument from the video-enabledmobile device; identifying and authenticating the user of thevideo-enabled mobile device with a biometric characteristic received inthe video from the video-enabled mobile device; analyzing the video todetermine whether the negotiable instrument is readable; transmittinginformation to the video-enabled mobile device while the video is beingreceived advising the user regarding a status of the deposit process;and depositing funds of the negotiable instrument into an account basedon deposit information extracted from the video of the negotiableinstrument.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying anendorsement of the negotiable instrument using a second biometriccharacteristic.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second biometriccharacteristic is the same as the biometric characteristic used inauthenticating the user.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprisingtransmitting information to the video-enabled mobile device instructingthe video-enabled mobile device to use a specific set of parameters incapturing the live video.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the livevideo is received via a streaming video format from the video-enabledmobile device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the live video of thenegotiable instrument is analyzing as it is received.
 7. A system fordepositing a negotiable instrument, comprising: memory; and a processorin communication with the memory, the processor configured to: establisha communication pathway with a video-enabled mobile device operated by auser, wherein the communication pathway is a real-time two-waycommunication pathway; receive live video of a negotiable instrumentfrom the video-enabled mobile device; identifying and authenticating theuser of the video-enabled mobile device with a biometric characteristicreceived in the video from the video-enabled mobile device; analyzingthe video to determine whether the negotiable instrument is readable;transmitting information to the video-enabled mobile device while thevideo is being received advising the user regarding a status of thedeposit process; and depositing funds of the negotiable instrument intoan account based on deposit information extracted from the video of thenegotiable instrument.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processoris further configured to verify an endorsement of the negotiableinstrument using a second biometric characteristic.
 9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the second biometric characteristic is the same as thebiometric characteristic used in authenticating the user.
 10. The systemof claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to transmitinformation to the video-enabled mobile device instructing thevideo-enabled mobile device to use a specific set of parameters incapturing the live video.
 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the livevideo is received via a streaming video format from the video sourceassociated with the mobile device.
 12. The system of claim 7, whereinthe live video of the negotiable instrument is analyzing as it isreceived.
 13. The system of claim 7, wherein the video-enabled mobiledevice is a video-enabled mobile phone.
 14. The system of claim 1,wherein the video-enabled mobile device is a video-enabled mobile phone.15. A processor-implemented method of depositing a negotiableinstrument, comprising, in a computing device of a financial institutionhaving a memory and a processor in communication with the memory, theprocessor: establishing a communication pathway with a mobile phoneoperated by a user, wherein the communication pathway is a real-timetwo-way communication pathway; receiving live video of a negotiableinstrument from the mobile phone, the video generated from a camera ofthe mobile phone; identifying and authenticating the user of the mobilephone with a biometric characteristic received in the video from themobile phone; analyzing the video to determine whether the negotiableinstrument is readable; transmitting information to the mobile phonewhile the video is being received advising the user regarding a statusof the deposit process; and depositing funds of the negotiableinstrument into an account based on deposit information extracted fromthe video of the negotiable instrument.